KOCHI: On a day when teams played for bragging rights, Kerala Blasters secured a 2-1 victory over their rivals Chennaiyin FC in the ISL match held at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here. KP Rahul and Adrian Luna scored for the Kerala side while Abde Nasser El Khayati scored for the visitors.

Following the defeat against East Bengal, Kerala were desperate to win the home match against their neighbourhood rivals to inch closer to the playoff spot. The match began on a naegative note for the Blasters with Chennaiyin FC scoring in the second minute.

After conceding the goal, the 'yellow army' looked more determined and the most likely team to score the next goal. Their efforts bore fruit in the 38th minute, as fan favourite Adrian Luna fired in the equalizer with a screamer from the edge of the box.

Later, in the 64th minute, Luna's low cross found Rahul inside the box as he scored the winner. With the win, Blasters is in the third position in the points table with 31 points from 17 matches. The defeat has inflicted a major blow to Chennaiyin's playoff chances with the team only managing 18 points from 17 matches.